


Drinking to Forget

by Monroeroe



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Drunken Kissing, Drunkenness, Flirting, Gen, Genderfluid Mollymauk Tealeaf, I'm only on episode 9, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Sort Of Fluff, and my first fic for Critical Role, but I relate to and am so gay for both of these characters, my first fic on here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 22:59:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17476580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monroeroe/pseuds/Monroeroe
Summary: Caleb drinks to forget a lot of things and Molly thinks that's the perfect time to make a move.*Set somewhere around episode 9 and 10*





	Drinking to Forget

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing on AO3 and I'm a little out of practice, but I hope you guys really like it! I feel very connected to these characters and finding out Molly was genderfluid made me cry. Hopefully this will be the first of many fics as I catch up.

_Drinking to Forget_

 

He pressed his fingers to his temple, pulling his drink closer to him. He was only faintly aware of the number of cups in front of him and that Nott had disappeared at some point within the last hour. He was using what little strength he had to keep from blinking so much. With every flash of darkness, the scorched skull of the priest burned further into his brain where unwanted memories liked to keep themselves. In his mind, there was nothing but fire.

He couldn’t remember what triggered these feelings. They had been in Zadash for nearly two days, roaming the streets to sell what goods they had and create as little a stir as possible. It had come so suddenly throughout the day, starting as a small heavy weight in the heat of the bathhouse. 

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

 Caleb let his eyes wander away from the table to meet Molly’s as he sat himself down with a flourish. He set down his own mug of ale, but kept his attention on Caleb’s face.

 Mollymauk was just ostentatious enough to keep his mind a little distracted. Molly perched his cheek against his clasped hands, allowing Caleb’s eyes to follow his tattoos from his arms to his neck and face. There was something dazzling about the bright greens and blues against his lavender complexion and the way the peacock feather on his cheek pulled when he smiled. He thought about the way the serpent on his hand coiled to disappear into the flowers across his shoulders, how fascinated he was by the ripples of his muscles at the bathhouse, flexing down to his tail-- 

 It turned out he was thoroughly distracted because he hadn’t registered Molly talking until the tiefling snapped sharply right under his nose. There was something playful about the way Molly cocked his head as he pulled away and took a sip of his drink. He could tell Molly’s eyes were roving up and down his body and suddenly remembering how clean he was made him want to drown himself in his drink.

 “I’m, uh… I do apologize for, um--” He groaned as a sudden pressure pushed behind his eyes.

 “No need. We’ve had a day.” His eyes lingered on Caleb’s face.

 He was a little grateful for the buzz, hoping his flushing cheeks could be an excuse of his drunkenness. “I know… It’s weird.”

He quirked a brow, the smirk almost verging on a smile. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

He leaned forward and his shirt fell open a little. Caleb’s eyes wandered back and forth over each scar, watching as the pale skin stretched with each breath. He felt something brush against his leg and jumped with a quiet yelp.

“Sorry! Sorry,” the tiefling chortled as his tail pulled away to wrap around a chair leg and then curl up around his wrist. “It has a mind of its own when I’m not paying attention.”

Slowly, he curled back into his hunched position, pressing his face further into his coat. “Have you seen Nott anywhere?”

He cocked his head to think and sighed. “I think she’s upstairs with Jester. A terrible combination really.”

“ _Ja_ ,” he agreed with a slight snort. “I can’t tell who gets into trouble more.”

Molly laughed into his own cup. “One day, they’re going to rule the world.”

“Oh, that idea is absolutely frightening.” 

They sat in amiable silence for a while as they enjoyed their drinks. Occasionally Caleb would catch Molly’s eyes roaming and he’d have to force himself to look away. The tiefling was a tease, that was all.

Molly downed the rest of his ale and rolled his shoulders as he stood, offering a hand to Caleb. “Here.” 

“Oh, I-I don’t think that, um, uh, will be necessar--” As soon as he stood, the ground was pulled from beneath his feet and everything spun.

Molly caught him just before his head could plummet into the table. “Oh no you don’t.”

He groaned as he hoisted the wizard, careful to secure a tight grip on his waist. Caleb released a sort of whining groan as his face found the crook of Molly’s neck. He was quick to grip on to his shirt, using what strength he had to keep himself upright. Despite the bath, there was still a hint of his Nag Champa musk lingering in his clothes and Caleb couldn’t help but pull himself further into Molly. 

A husky chuckle rumbled through Molly. “How many did you have, mate?”

Caleb took a gulping breath. “I, uh, do not remember, uh, counting…”

“That’s very unlike you.”

Neither remembered the hallway leading to the stairs being this long. Halfway through, Molly had to push Caleb into the wall to relieve himself of the weight for a minute, huffing as he turned to face him. There was something prominently distant his eyes, but not just from the alcohol, he presumed.

“Everybody’s got demons,” he said.

“I’ve got one carrying me to our room.”

He bellowed out of surprise, wrapping his other arm around to clasp his wrist to keep Caleb secure while he laughed.

“...A very nice looking demon…”

Something caught in his throat and he had to force himself to meet Caleb’s eyes. As soon as it appeared, what little bravery he could muster died down in his gut. He pulled his face away, but Molly gently cupped his cheek, coaxing his face to his again. The red on his cheeks brought out his freckles, a little flustered by how many were hiding under all the dirt. He carefully pushed Caleb’s back into the wall and pressed their bodies together until their lips were just inches apart. The ale on Caleb’s breath was unmistakable through his natural earthy scent.

They stood like that for a minute, Molly astonished by how well they curved into each other and Caleb absorbed in blearily tracing Molly’s jawline. He slowly blinked up at the tiefling, parting his lips as if to speak and then closing them again. As soon as they closed, Molly leaned in the last few inches to brush their lips together and pulling away quickly.

“I, uh…” Caleb swallowed thickly as his face followed Molly’s.

Taking the invitation, he met Caleb eagerly. One hand found the small of his back and the other slipped through his hair, pulling lightly and eliciting a small moan into his mouth. Caleb clutched onto the front of his shirt as if trying to fuse them together, desperately wanting him closer. Their hips met at some point and they had to pull away to take in a sharp breath.

Molly pressed their foreheads together, letting a long minute pass. He sighed as he leaned into another kiss. This time he was more restrained as he slowly cupped Caleb’s face and tilted his head back to deepen it. He painstakingly dragged his tongue against Caleb’s bottom lip; the wizard stiffened as he realized it was a forked tongue. Just as he was about to part his lips for him, Molly pulled away.

Caleb’s knees shook as they stood there, regaining their breath. Molly ran a thumb over his cheek. He sighed as he placed a quick peck on his forehead.

Caleb hiccupped, “That was nice…”

Molly sort of chuckled. “Yeah… Probably won’t do that again for a while.”

“Why not?”

Caleb’s pupils danced and Molly spoke, knowing full well he wouldn’t remember anything in the morning. “Because you’re not ready… Not yet…”

He leaned into his shoulder, giving Molly a mouth full of dirty russet. It was an awkward sort of hug with Molly doing most of the holding as Caleb was having trouble staying on his feet. Eventually they were able to make it to the stairs, not saying anything. When they reached the top of the stairs Caleb brushed a faint kiss onto his cheek and Molly nearly lost his grip.

“What, uh, what was that for?” he whispered with a smirk, careful to not wake anyone.

He smiled awkwardly and it made his breath hitch. “You have really nice dimples.”

He really had to resist the urge take the poor, defenseless wizard right then and there.

 


End file.
